The restored fountain "Neptune" in Peterhof delighted the audience

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

Peterhof is the most popular of all the suburbs of St. Petersburg. The palace and park ensemble is recognized as the highest achievement of Russian culture and is an example of the synthesis of architecture, sculpture, and engineering. And the unique fountain complex, located in the Upper and Lower Gardens, has long been recognized as a real wonder of the world. To supply it with water, a unique system with ponds was built.

Each fountain has its own history and destiny. Today we will talk about a composition called "Neptune", which was updated and presented to the audience in April 2016.

Upper Park

Occupying an area of approximately 15 hectares, the Upper Park is famous for its small picturesque gardens, arched alleys, colorful flower beds, but the main role, of course, belongs to fountains with sculptural compositions. Around each of them are symmetrical green lawns with trimmed plants.

Sight of Peterhof

UpperIn the park, the fountain "Neptune", numbering about forty large figures, is installed in the middle of a pool filled with water. This is the most significant and large-scale creation, which is the main attraction of Peterhof.

Initially, in 1736, the lead composition "Neptunov's Cart" was installed. The main sculpture was complemented by proud riders on mythical horses, figures of women with oars and dolphins, and in the center there was a gilded ball cast from copper, raised by silver jets of water.

Fountain built by German craftsmen

After 61 years, the composition was dismantled due to frequent restorations, and instead a bronze fountain "Neptune" was installed, which had been waiting for its turn in Germany for more than a hundred years.

The fact is that back in 1660, German sculptors were creating a fountain, which was supposed to become a symbol of the end of the 30-year-long war and the Peace of Westphalia. However, as it turned out, in the city of Nuremberg, this system cannot function due to insufficient water supply. And local authorities called it "an inappropriately expensive monument."

Purchase composition by the Emperor

The future Emperor Paul I, traveling incognito, saw the cascade and fell in love with it. And after his coronation, he returned to Germany, where the Neptune fountain was disassembled in a warehouse, and bought it for a lot of money in order to install it in his residence in the future.

However, in Gatchina there were not enough water resources forsupport its life, and therefore it was decided to install a cascade in Peterhof on the site of the dismantled composition.

Since 1799, the majestic sculpture, which turned out to be the oldest among all the complexes, has been pleasing the eyes of visitors to the Upper Park.

Neptune fountain in Peterhof: description

The composition of the monument in the Baroque style includes more than 30 figures. Neptune, holding a trident in his hand, is surrounded by rushing horsemen, gentle nymphs and triton boys blowing shells.

His figure rises on a high granite pedestal, decorated with images of dolphins, oak leaves, flowers. The ancient Roman god of the sea is surrounded by 26 upward jets of water and gives the impression that he controls the elements.

The pedestal is located on a large platform, complemented by sculptures of riders galloping on winged horses, and figures of eight dolphins are located in a huge pond.

A remarkable fact, but the inhabitants of the German city could not come to terms with the loss of the fountain, and at the beginning of the 20th century an exact copy of the work of art was installed.

Dismantling during the war

During the Great Patriotic War, the Neptune Fountain was dismantled and taken as a trophy by the Nazis to Germany. But in 1947, the stolen masterpiece, stored in the bunker, was returned in 12 boxes, however, without the horseman and Apollo figures, which were recast by our craftsmen from the remaining plaster casts, and after 9 years the cascade again towered in the old place.

Firstrestoration

The tests that fell on the lot of the fountain did not affect its appearance in the best way: ugly cracks and chips appeared. In 2015, the Neptune fountain in Peterhof, the photo of which is presented in the article, was closed for the first restoration in many years. The pond and its bowl, lined with natural stones, were cleaned, the design of the bottom of the reservoir was recreated, the pipeline, steps and marble slabs of the fountain were replaced.

All cracks disappeared, deformations were eliminated, and the master restorers restored the lost images from the documents of the double-headed eagles preserved in the archives, as well as small details on the sculptures surrounding Neptune.

Updated composition

On April 5, 2016, the restored complex was installed in its original place. For the new season, the updated fountain "Neptune" in Peterhof delighted everyone who came to enjoy the views of the palace complex, and on May 21, he took part in the traditional festival of cascades.

This is one of the most exquisite and majestic compositions known to the whole world.